Ziaja - Best anti-aging hand cream

Never heard of Ziaja? Neither had I until my holiday package arrived from relatives in Poland in late 2010. For the past few years, they've sent me Nivea Visage q10 products, as they are no longer available in the U.S. This year, they added an anti-aging hand and nail cream made with goat's milk from Ziaja.

According to its website, Ziaja is a Polish company that produces, among other things, cosmetics made with natural ingredients. It is a family-owned company, founded in 1989, and its products are clinically tested and certified.  And affordable.

An effective anti-aging hand cream should:

• keep hands hydrated and skin plump (to reduce the appearance of veins and bones)
• reduce the appearance of wrinkles
• reduce the appearance of dark spots or age spots
• keep skin soft and smooth

So, how did Ziaja Goat's Milk Anti-Aging hand and nail cream perform? Outstanding. When Neutrogena discontinued my favorite anti-aging hand cream, Neutrogena Visibly Younger hand cream with SPF 20, I began trying various hand creams, all with lackluster results.

First I tried Neutrogena's replacement cream: New Hands restorative hand treatment with SPF 15. It was nothing like the Visibly Younger hand cream. It was not smooth or silky, and my hands felt rougher after applying it. Most importantly, it did not plump up the skin on my hands, making them look older.

Next I tried Whole Food's 365 brand of canola hand and body cream. While it was silkier than Neutrogena's New Hands, it didn't have the anti-aging benefits, so I quickly switched.

I returned again to Neutrogena, this time to its Norwegian Formula. It had the same effect as New Hands, and I didn't notice any difference or benefits. It seemed to dry my hands out, and I kept reapplying, hoping that it would eventually nourish my hands. Instead, my hands constantly felt parched.

I gave up on anti-aging hand creams for a while. When I received the Zaija cream from my family, I looked down at my hands and was dismayed. My hands were showing the signs of aging: dry, wrinkled, bony, and the veins were becoming more visible.

I've used the Ziaja Goat's Milk Anti-Aging Hand and Nail cream consistently for nearly three months and am thrilled with the results. Not only does it go on smoothly, without any sort of greasy feeling, but it nourishes my hands for hours, so that I don't have to reapply throughout the day. And it has a pleasant fragrance.

The backs of my hands appear younger--the skin is plumper and firmer, making the veins and bones less visible. As I'm in my late-thirties, I really didn't have any wrinkles or age spots on my hands when I began to use this product, and none have appeared since I started.

And I have noticed that my fingernails feel softer and less brittle.

While I haven't tried the more expensive anti-aging hand and nail creams, Zaija seems very effective for its price. I don't see a need to try something more expensive at this point, as I'm quite satisfied with the results achieved after only a few months.

Best of all, I no longer have to rely on my relatives in Poland to send me Ziaja products--they are available in the U.S. (and other countries). Given the success of the anti-aging hand and nail cream, I do intend to try (and will review) some of the other creams Ziaja offers.

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